pollution

Organizations Join Forces to Support Next Step in Road Salt Reduction

Organizations Join Forces to Support Next Step in Road Salt Reduction

New legislation would establish New York State Road Salt Reduction Council and Citizen Advisory Committee to protect water, health, and communities

A coalition of environmental, municipal, and public health advocates is calling for swift passage of legislation (A.4481-A/S.6976-A) to establish a New York State Road Salt Reduction Council and Citizen Advisory Committee. This body would be tasked with implementing the recommendations published by the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force in 2023. The Senate passed a version of this bill in 2024, and is poised to pass the bill once again.

Senators Harckham and May Host Public Hearing in Albany on Harmful Algal Blooms

Senators Harckham and May Host Public Hearing in Albany on Harmful Algal Blooms

Highlights the need for action against HABs to protect New York State’s water bodies

Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, and State Senator Rachel May hosted a public hearing on May 21 here at the State Capitol to evaluate the efficacy of New York State’s monitoring and management of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and to examine potential legislative solutions.

Long Island Sound Docuseries

Long Island Sound Docuseries

The Nature Conservancy co-produced a new documentary series about water pollution in Long Island Sound.

Lights, Camera, Action . . . Long Island Sound! A new docuseries, “Tackling Pollution in Long Island Sound,” will soon be available for viewing by the public at The Nature Conservancy's Connecticut YouTube channel. Two of the series’ four videos premiered in March at the 2025 Long Island Sound Summit.

Adrienne Esposito: Companies that produce packing waste must recycle it

Adrienne Esposito: Companies that produce packing waste must recycle it

Consumers have changed our shopping habits across New York state. The transition to online shopping has significantly increased plastic, paper and cardboard packaging waste. Those materials go to Reworld, which takes our trash, and are turned into ash. The ash needs to go somewhere, but where?

Groups File Brief in Support of Lawsuit Against Ban on Wind Power

Groups File Brief in Support of Lawsuit Against Ban on Wind Power

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – A group of 10 environmental groups filed a legal brief today in support of an effort by states and industry to overturn the Trump administration’s government-wide ban on new wind energy projects. 

EPA to rescind and reconsider some PFAS standards, delay compliance deadline for others

EPA to rescind and reconsider some PFAS standards, delay compliance deadline for others

The federal Environmental Protection Agency today announced it is delaying by two years the deadline by which water systems must comply with maximum contaminant levels for PFOA and PFOS, two of the “forever chemicals” the agency set national standards for last year. 

Report: NYS faces high risk of PFAS in drinking water

Report: NYS faces high risk of PFAS in drinking water

Some New Yorkers are at a higher risk of exposure to forever chemicals in drinking water.

An Environmental Working Group analysis found 189 of the state’s water systems have PFAS levels above the federal standard but below New York’s standard.

Trump Administration Pushing to Block Renewable Energy Projects

Trump Administration Pushing to Block Renewable Energy Projects

The administration of Donald Trump is making an unbridled push to block renewable energy projects—including last week halting the placement of 54 wind turbines in the ocean south of Long Island, New York—and is pushing fossil fuels, among them coal. The burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.”

Earth Day 2025 had Long Islanders picking up beach trash and worrying about the future

Earth Day 2025 had Long Islanders picking up beach trash and worrying about the future

On Earth Day Tuesday, Long Island residents scoured the shores of Jones Beach, searching for microplastics and other waste that spoil the coastline and harm marine creatures.

30,000 gallons of sewage discharged into Port Jefferson Harbor

30,000 gallons of sewage discharged into Port Jefferson Harbor

On the morning of April 14, an approximate total of 30,000 gallons of partially treated sewage was discharged into Port Jefferson Harbor over the course of two hours. According to the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, the discharge was caused by an electrical malfunction on a ultraviolet disinfection unit.  Upon identifying the problem, the plant ran the effluent through a second UV system, while they repaired and tested the first, then returned to routine operations. While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that the plant is now operating normally, but there are still health concerns. 

Health officials issue warning after Long Island sewage leak

Health officials issue warning after Long Island sewage leak

Keep children and pets away from the area, officials say. If contact does occur, rinse off the affected area with clean water immediately

Long Island residents living near Port Jefferson Harbor were warned by officials to stay away from the water, and to not even have dogs walk along the shore line. That’s because of a huge sewage spill into the harbor meant high levels of bacteria and viruses were floating around. NBC New York’s Pei-Sze Cheng reports.

Long Island health officials issue warning after sewage leak in Port Jefferson Harbor

Long Island health officials issue warning after sewage leak in Port Jefferson Harbor

A two-hour electrical malfunction led to a sewage spill in Port Jefferson Harbor. 

Thirty thousand gallons of partially treated sewage was discharged from its plant, the Department of Environmental Conservation said. The problem was a partial malfunction of the electrical sewage ultraviolet disinfection system.   

EPA ban, phaseout on cancer-causing chemical found in Long Island groundwater partially stalled by industry challenge

EPA ban, phaseout on cancer-causing chemical found in Long Island groundwater partially stalled by industry challenge

'Before we all drop dead'

A federal Environmental Protection Agency measure intended to ban and phase out TCE, a toxin commonly found in contaminated groundwater, including on Long Island, has been delayed, first by a Trump executive order and then litigation.

PFAS detected in multiple New York counties' public water supply, environmentalists say

PFAS detected in multiple New York counties' public water supply, environmentalists say

More than 1 million New Yorkers depend on public water systems for drinking water, and some are being exposed to manmade "forever chemicals" called PFAS, environmentalists say.

The tap water in New York is said to be safe to drink as it meets federal and state standards, but according to a study by the Environmental Working Group, as of March 2025, PFAS have been detected in public water systems in Westchester, Rockland, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Defending the environment, for all of us

Defending the environment, for all of us

Adrienne Esposito is executive director and a cofounder of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a nonprofit organization fighting for stronger environmental policies.

Herald: Tell me about yourself.

Esposito: I grew up in Copiague, and I literally grew up with one foot in the water and one foot on the land. As a kid, we went crabbing and fishing and to the beach, and my mom would bring us blueberry-picking in the Pine Barrens. And my dad was a really tremendous fisherman and outdoorsmen, so we grew up on the water. So I think that that really connects you to the natural world and impresses upon you the beauty of it and the need to protect it.

WHALE SIGHTINGS ARE UP

WHALE SIGHTINGS ARE UP

While researchers along the East Coast have been documenting an “unusual whale mortality event” since 2016, there is a lot of good news to be told.  Whale biologists have seen an unprecedented number of whales feeding in the waters off of Montauk in recent years.

PFAS detected in multiple New York counties' public water supply, environmentalists say

PFAS detected in multiple New York counties' public water supply, environmentalists say

More than 1 million New Yorkers depend on public water systems for drinking water, and some are being exposed to manmade "forever chemicals" called PFAS, environmentalists say.

EPA could weaken PFAS rules putting drinking water at risk for millions

EPA could weaken PFAS rules putting drinking water at risk for millions

What It Means For Drinking Water

More than 1.3 million New Yorkers could lose critical protections from toxic “forever chemicals” in their drinking water if the Environmental Protection Agency weakens new federal PFAS standards, according to a report released Wednesday.

More than 1.3M New Yorkers at risk if EPA weakens PFAS standards

More than 1.3M New Yorkers at risk if EPA weakens PFAS standards

Administrator Lee Zeldin will decide fate of landmark ‘forever chemicals’ standards

ALBANY, N.Y. – More than 1.3 million New Yorkers could lose critical protections from the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in their tap water if the Environmental Protection Agency rolls back its historic, science-based PFAS drinking water standards.

As Main Street in Kings Park gets ripped up for sewers, business owners have hope for the future

As Main Street in Kings Park gets ripped up for sewers, business owners have hope for the future

Repairs to Main Street in Kings Park are underway to advance a $101 million project to connect the downtown business district to sewers, a critical step in revitalizing the hamlet, municipal officials said.

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